Going to school and finishing school gives you the foundation for life-long learning.
It is the same process as building a house – you don’t start with the roof, you start with the foundation. Then, brick by brick, knowledge builds on knowledge.
The further along you go, the more you can tailor your education to suit you. In secondary school, TAFE, university and other training institutions you have the opportunity to learn about things that really interest you.
When you complete Year 10 or Year 12 you may consider going down the track of higher education.
Around this time there can be a lot of pressure “to know what you want to do with the rest of your life”.
Ignore this pressure!
The reality is that most Australian workers retrain many times in their lifetime. So, you don’t have to know what you want to do with the rest of your life (who does!) you just have to know what you want to do now. And if you don’t know what you want to do now, there are still many options open to you, so you can make a more informed choice and get in touch with what really interests you.
If you are not ready to leap into more study when you finish school, think about these options:
• Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships
Learn a trade and earn a small wage at the same time.
Check out:
www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au
• A Gap Year
You may feel like you need to really investigate life beyond school before you commit to further study or training. A Gap Year is like a research year – you can explore things you think you will like or be good at through travel, working overseas or volunteering.
• Travel
Travel can broaden your horizons and expose you to new cultures, religions and philosophies, even within Australia. But you need money or at least have a solid plan to earn it!
• Working overseas
If you are under 30 years old many countries will offer you a working visa. For example, thousands of Australian young people travel to the UK and Ireland each year on a Work Visa or find jobs working on summer camps all over the world.
Check out:
www.transitionsabroad.com
www.myfuture.edu.au
• Volunteering
There are so many ways to learn new skills and gain experience through volunteering. You can explore areas that you have an interest in. As a volunteer you’ll be working as a team member and this will help to enhance your people skills and grow your network.
Check out our page on volunteering here on the Create Your Future website:
www.createyourfuture.com.au/employment/benefitsOfVolunteering.do
